Darth Vader's Cybernetic Suit
: NOTE: The Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader of this Star Wars wiki and continuity is different to the Disney/Lucasfilm Wookiepedia official canon version. As such, this version of Darth Vader's suit and how the character ends up in it does not include the Duel on Mustafar between him and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Over a span of several decades until his ultimate death in 4 ABY, the Sith Lord Darth Vader had been forced to wear a mobile life support system which encased him in a suit of distinctive black armor. Despite the weaknesses imparted by the suit, it also provided a number of strengths. The suit provided Vader with relatively free movement, while providing him with greatly enhanced durability, stamina, numerous sensory enhancements and protection from extremely inhospitable environments. The armor was designed to augment Vader's severely diminished physical strength and vitality, while also exuding an air of intimidation, fear and control. Despite how integrated the suit appeared to be with regard to Vader's cybernetics, virtually all of the external components of the suit could be removed in their entirety, as Vader was known to routinely remove both the suit and his prosthetic limbs during maintenance sessions. It was damaged and broken several times during its use, necessitating upgrades and repairs. The suit was finally irreparably broken in 4 ABY, when Vader absorbed an extreme excess of Emperor Palpatine's Force Lightning aboard the second Death Star in order to save his son Luke Skywalker from certain death. No longer able to operate the suit, Vader died shortly after. Luke Skywalker ceremonially cremated his father on Endor, destroying the suit along with Vader. Vader found the suit uncomfortable to wear at times, and the armour encased Vader completely, creating a seal to protect parts of his damaged body and charred lungs. To escape the armor's claustrophobic nature, Vader had several pressurised meditation chambers built where he could remove his mask and suit and still survive, which were also used almost every month when his suit required maintenance sessions. Vader longed to be less dependent on his armour and tried at times to function without it, but he labored in vain. Vader slowly learned to live with the isolation and anonymity that the suit imposed on him. Over the years, Vader speculated that these flaws in his suits design were ordered by Palpatine in order to stop him from rebelling. While true, Palpatine also ordered them in order for the resulting damage and pain to aid in Vader's mastery over the Dark Side of the Force. Design Inside the suit, Vader's body was heavily padded with several layers of insulation that was fireproof and shockproof, allowing him to withstand both freezing and scorching environments, as well as flames and corrosive substances. This insulation allowed Vader to withstand gun blasts to certain parts of his suit. The helmet was carved out to fit around his head and show his "face." This helmet had a raised ridge that ran from between his eyes to the back of his head, where it merged into the helmet itself, which had a strong metallic hull. This helmet locked into the mask, via a pressurised seal. Vader's mask was one of the most important pieces of Vader's armour, and was vital to his survival. Without it, he would die unless in the pressurised, controlled atmosphere of one of his specially-made meditation chambers. Two less jagged ridges swept over the eyes of Vader's mask proper and served to accent them. The jagged edges also acted as a means to deflect potential energy blasts onto the thick shoulder armor. The mask itself went halfway around Vader's head. The mask's appearance was given a similar appearance to a skull in order to enhance the fear factor of the Dark Lord of the Sith. With damaged lungs, Vader's mask would pump air into his lungs, which, via a ventilator, supplies a distinctive rasp that added to the fear factor of the suit. Unable to produce speech because of his damaged lungs, Vader had an implanted communicator that gave him an electronic voice. Around his chest armour, he wore a chest computer unit that served to regulate many of the life-support functions, which were only recharged during the suits monthly maintenance sessions. Though the extent of Vader's injuries remained concealed by his foreboding armor, it was known that he required an advanced life-support system to stay alive. This life-support system was integrated into his armor, thus freeing Vader of the limitations inherent in external life-support equipment. Circuitry throughout the suit monitored cardiac, respiratory, and neural systems, and three slot-like data-ports located on Vader's chest unit allowed access to collected diagnostic information. Like Stormtrooper armour, the suit was equipped with a sensitive temperature-regulation system. Like a Stormtrooper mask, Vader's was equipped with infrared and ultraviolet vision, enabling Vader to see clearly in complete darkness. In addition, his helmet and mask kept light from blinding him. His suit could also function as an airtight spacesuit for at least a short time while exposed to the vacuum of space, along with an internal oxygen supply. A small, back-up air-processing filter was located in his distinctive mouth grill, which also doubled as a respiratory intake system. Vader's life-support system also included a chest-worn, computerized control panel unit that regulated his respiratory functions. From this chest panel, a thick cable entered his torso, linking to a breathing apparatus and heartbeat regulator. * The ventilator was implanted in his terribly scarred chest, along with tubes that ran directly into his damaged lungs, and others that entered his damaged throat, so that should the chest plate or belt control panels develop a glitch, he could breathe unassisted air for a limited time out of his mouth, which had not been burned to the extent of his throat. * A belt-mounted function box housed the respiratory sensor matrix responsible for controlling Vader's breathing. * Using it, Vader could easily adjust the controls on his armor to increase or decrease his supply of oxygen. * Vader's breathing was machine-regulated, but his pace of breathing quickened during physical exertion and could be overridden by involuntary emotional reactions. * In addition, his respirator would also let out a strained rasp if undergoing extreme exertion rendering him exhausted or if part of his armor is significantly damaged. This is especially evident when Vader lost his right arm to Luke Skywalker in their final duel. * The respirator slowed down or sped up in response to changes in his remaining body's functions,18 but Vader was unable to stop it or hold his breath, nor could he slow it. Vader's breather functioned even while Vader was speaking. * However, it is apparent that a dampener or similar device had been installed into his suit by 3 ABY, as he was able to surprise Luke Skywalker in a dark passage near the carbon-freezing chamber on Bespin. Vader's ambush was only possible because he could temporarily quiet his loud breathing. * Lord Vader's breather was seriously damaged by Force lightning during his struggle with the Emperor. Although it continued to operate to some extent, the sound of the mechanism was reduced to a strained rasp, implying that the respirator was broken. The labored breathing sound persisted until his final unmasking. * His signature, labored mechanical breathing was the sound of the iron lung Vader was forced to wear. The med droids that had made the suit had inserted the redundant breathing tubes low enough so that, with the aid of an enunciator, his scorched vocal cords could still form sounds and words through a voice synthesizer in the mask. * Absent from the enunciator in Vader's mouth grill, which imparted a synthetic bass tone, his own voice was little more than a whisper. Though limited by what the respirator could do, Vader could still make his respirator approximate a laugh or a sigh. * Vader was able to speak even when unmasked shortly before the destruction of the second Death Star. The weakness of his voice was probably partly due to his breathing difficulty and the internal mortal wounds and damage to his cybernetic systems inflicted by the Emperor. Category:Canon articles